PowerBook keyboard madness
Backslash, anyone? Ok, after playing around with my new PB, there’s one thing that bothers me: Keyboard labeling. Compared quickly to my logitech keyboard, the de-layout keyboard misses the following keys (besides the multimedia keys, of course): \ {} [] ~ |. And yes, I actually use them on a regulary basis!
Well, anyway, pressing a bunch of key-combos (never liked beat-em-ups for exactly that reason!) revealed the following:
<shift>+<alt>+<7> = \
<alt>+<8> = {
<alt>+<9> = }
<alt>+<5> = [
<alt>+<6> = ]
<alt>+<7> = |
<alt>+<n> = ~
There are more oddities to that keyboard, but then again, it’s a new architecture. I’ll get used to it eventually.
One a sidenote, although using it all the time, I still find myself amazed when looking up things at Wikipedia. It even has a pretty extensive entry for Double Dragon. This was the only exception on beat-em-ups. I played that like crazy with a friend on my Atari ST, about 14(!) years ago. Fsck! Seems I’m finally getting old..
April 11th, 2005 at 9:55
My PB 12″ with it’s standard international English keyboard layout (physical keyboard for English users outside the US) and US layout (System Preferences -> International -> Input Menu) has these keys as direct keystrokes or with shift (and they are printed on the keyboard so easy to find):
= \
+ = {
+ = }
= [
= ]
+ = ~
On the PowerBook they are in the exact same positions as on the Apple International English USB keyboards that come with the desktop models. You may want to experiment with the various keyboard layouts that can be selected for the Input Menu. For programmers and terminal geeks the English layout with the international English PB model is much more convenient, but obviously it does not offer direct access to some of the German characters. So, for example, ΓΌ is types as + followed by . Once you get the hang of it it is easy to memorize.
david.
April 11th, 2005 at 21:25
Thanks for the info, for the next keyboard or notebook (well, this may take a while), I’m also considering getting an US layout. For the time beeing, the current will probably do it’s job
June 16th, 2005 at 18:38
I’ve also recently switched to a Powerbook, and I truly regret choosing a Belgian keyboard lay-out. The lack of square brackets and accolades is absolutely driving me mad while coding (Php for example). I’m used to a full-size IBM Thinkpad keyboard, and this is truly a big step back, even though the rest of the machine is fantastic.
Anyone who knows if it’s possible to change the keyboard is welcome to mail me (lode -at- linu-dot-cx). My next Powerbook will surely have an English keyboard.